New World Order Series

Information Brochure No. 6

Armageddon

INTRODUCTION

Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be determined whether it would fulfill the purpose of the watcher and the Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world's great empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its power departed.

While nations have rejected God's principles, and in this rejection have wrought their own ruin, yet a divine overruling purpose has manifestly been at work throughout the ages. The history of nations speaks to us today. To every nation and to every individual God has assigned a place in His great plan. Today men and nations are being tested by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their own destiny, and God is overruling all the accomplishments of His purpose.

The prophecies which are given in His word, uniting link after link in the chain of events, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tell us where we are today in the procession of the ages and what may be expected in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass up to the present time, has been traced on the pages of history and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order.

Today signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living rulers and statesmen, and those who occupy positions of trust and authority. Thinking men and women of all classes have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us.

They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place, that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. This crisis will reveal the great final scenes in the history of our world. Events already are casting shadows before, and the sound of their approach is causing the earth to tremble and men's hearts to fail them for fear.

Armageddon is the final climactic battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil, the final struggle in the great controversy. This battle is preceded by the United States of America bringing the world under the umbrella of Rome. America will continue as a political power, but will be subservient to Rome, as were the nations of Europe in the Dark Ages.

This conflict is as real as any war between nations. It is more continuous and more extensive than the material struggle between nations and requires from the Christian as much patience, perseverance and ceaseless struggle as in any international struggle. This is a very real, literal battle, but it is not a military conflict between the nations. Rather it is a battle for allegiance fought over spiritual issues.

QUESTION 1. (a) What time period is brought to view for the battle of Armageddon?

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up." Revelation 16:12 (first part).

(b) What is the significance of the drying up of the River Euphrates?

"that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Revelation 16:12 (last part)

NOTE AND ANSWER:

We are carried forward to a period of time known as the sixth plague. This is a time of extreme persecution for those people who refuse to become a part of that counterfeit system of religion mentioned in our previous study. In this study two armies are described.

a) The Kings of the East: the heavenly armies

b) The Kings of the Earth and the whole world (referred to as Babylon)

Cyrus the Persian devised a plan whereby he could enter and conquer the ancient city of Babylon, which was built across the river Euphrates. As the river wound its way through the city it became its life support. Cyrus had his army dig a channel that allowed him to divert the river away from the city and his army entered under the city wall via the riverbed to conquer the Babylonians.

As water is a symbol of multitudes of people, now under the sixth plague, the term the drying up of the river Euphrates is a distinct reference back to the overthrow of ancient Babylon by the strategy of Cyrus. So this gigantic system of false religion receives its support and power from the people of the nations of the earth.

In the Armageddon context, the drying up of the river Euphrates is the war that the armies of heaven will launch against the nations of the world that have joined in the counterfeit persecuting system of religion of which Babylon is the symbolic name given. This drying up of the Euphrates or the taking away of the support and power of Babylon prepares the way for the deliverance of Christ's people by the heavenly armies (kings of the east).

QUESTION 2: (a) What are the names of the three divisions of modern Babylon?

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Revelation 16:13 (last part)

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Revelation 16:13 (first part).

NOTE AND ANSWER:

The name Babylon is an aggregate of names and symbols. Here we have the three great divisions that go to make up this great system of false religion. The "dragon" represents the persecuting governments of the world. The "Beast" and the "False Prophet" represent the Papal and Protestant divisions of professing Christians. These three powers unite, and have a common goal, to persuade and force the inhabitants of the earth into accepting the system of worship which they proclaim will bring peace and safety to this war-torn planet of ours. Please read the study note on Babylon.

Protestants (anywhere) that accept the Roman Catholic principle of the union of church and state, constitute the false prophet. Anciently, false prophets led people to trust in their false conceptions of worship and teachings. Thus those Protestant churches that do this are pictured as the false prophet for they confirm the teachings of Rome, and by doing so, become the assistant to the Roman beast.

Out of these three divisions of Babylon come "three unclean spirits like frogs." These unclean spirits are repulsive to God. Coming forth from the mouths, they represent the policy that this threefold religious union proclaims to the world, also called in Revelation 17:2, the "wine" of Babylon.

This movement is designed to bring all churches together through laying aside their doctrinal differences and uniting on the great humanitarian issues facing the world today. Papists, Protestants and worldlings, will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium of peace. What a revelation, the three divisions of society getting together in a spiritualistic movement that leads the world to the battle of the "Great day of God Almighty."

QUESTION 3: (a) What does the Bible refer to these frogs as?

"For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Revelation 16:14

(b) What work do the unclean spirits like frogs do in preparation for the battle of Armageddon?

"For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Revelation 16:14

NOTE AND ANSWER:

Here we see the manifestation of Satan himself working through the medium of spiritualism. For it is said, they are the spirits of devils working miracles. Satan has long been planning for his final effort to deceive the world. Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs: but it will be reached as we near the battle of Armageddon. The whole world is in danger of being swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled into a fatal security.

To many it may seem incredible that the nations should be willing to engage in such an unequal warfare as to go up to battle against the Lord of Hosts. However, it is one province of these spirits of devils to deceive for they go forth working miracles and thereby deceive the kings of the earth that they should believe a lie. In this verse is described the manner in which the people and forces of Babylon are influenced by unclean spirits to oppose the truth of God. It is this opposition to forces of Heaven that will bring about their destruction.

World conditions will become so desperate that with the aid of evil spirits, desperate measures will be adopted in the endeavor to compel people to give their support to this false system of worship as a means of bringing about world peace and prosperity. Please read the study note on the coming climax.

QUESTION 4: (a) in the battle of Armageddon, how is God said to come to the battle?

"Behold, I come as a thief." Revelation 16:15 (first part)

(b) To remain true to God, what must be done?

"Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Revelation 16:15 (last part)

NOTE AND ANSWER:

We are living at the end of time. The fast fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming crisis is near at hand. The calamities by land, sea, and air; the unsettled state of society; the alarms of war are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis.

Great changes are soon to take place in our world and the final movements will be rapid ones. As a thief in the night unexpectedly will the crisis come. When men look to and are hoping for many years of prosperity, the crisis will come.

However, right here in the middle of the battle, we are admonished to "keep our garments, lest we walk naked and people see our shame." What has clothing to do with this battle? It would seem as though fashion and style could offer little protection. If the battle of Armageddon is a literal physical war somewhere in Palestine, then with today's technology, garments, clothing, fashion and style would offer no security whatever.

On the other hand if this battle is the last great battle between right and wrong, truth and error, in which all the world is to take a stand, then garments and clothing will be very important, for garments are a symbol of character, truth and righteousness. The only way that we as citizens of earth could possibly be clothed in righteousness is through the way we worship. This is the battle, this is the coming crisis, the hidden agenda, the issue of true worship. Please read the study note on "Declaring Allegiance."

QUESTION 5: To what place are the inhabitants of the world gathered?

"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:16

NOTE AND ANSWER:

A place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon. This gathering of the people to the battle of the Great day of God Almighty is not to be taken as meaning to be a literal place in Palestine where some military conflict will take place, that place being Megiddo. But rather it is a gathering of the people of earth to the valley of decision. To whom shall we give worship? There are only two sides, two classes of people.

a) Those that follow God in true worship

b) Those that gather under the banner of false worship

There can be no in-between, for this gathering to Armageddon does not literally mean to assemble them in one place, but to so unite them that it might be represented as an assembling of the hosts to battle. There will be a mustering of spiritual forces; there will be a combination and unity of opposition against the truth as if the forces of earth, marshalled by the kings and rulers, were assembled in some great battle where the destiny of the world is to be decided. This gathering as it were, means to make a decision which would determine the question of the prevalence of true worship.

CONCLUSION

Armageddon is that war which Heaven will launch against the unregenerate people of the world when they unitedly fight against God. From whatever angle of the Bible Armageddon is considered, it is evident that it concerns the matter of worship. Those who place themselves under God's control to be led and controlled by Him, will catch the steady tread of events ordained by Him to take place. To all, the testing time will come and by this test the genuine Christian will be revealed.

In the threefold union that is even now beginning to take place, Papists, Protestants and worldlings will alike accept this false system of worship. They will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long expected millennium. The people are dreaming of peace when there is no peace, for while they cry "peace and safety" sudden destruction is coming.

When the scorner, the rejecter of truth has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the reasoning of philosophy has banished the fear of God's judgments; when religious teachers are pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity, and the world is absorbed in its rounds of business and pleasure, planting and building, feasting and merrymaking, rejecting God's warnings and mocking His messengers -- then it is that sudden destruction cometh upon them. When the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, the crisis of Armageddon comes as unexpectedly as the thief.

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